Farming with goats Part 7: Best breeding practices to expand your flock E
very farmer wants to expand his flock. However there are key principles that need attention concerning the effective management of ewes, rams and kids. Reproduction and kidding management directly affect the flock’s reproductive performance. Reproduction efficiency in any goat flock can be assessed by considering the following aspects: • The interval between consecutive kiddings of a ewe (that is preferably less than 250 days). • The number of kids per ewe. • The number of kids born and weaned in the flock.
as they are ready. However, it results in kids dropping throughout the year, making good management, recording and strategic feeding of ewes impossible. It also means that the farmer needs to keep the ram in good condition all year round. The challenge with kids being born in late winter or spring is that there is a shortage of feed during late pregnancy when the growing foetus is putting heavy demands on the ewe, as well as during early lactation.
Ram management
The ram must be managed (and fed) so that he is healthy and able to work effectively during the mating season.
During the breeding season, keep a ratio of 1 ram for 20 to 30 ewes. Replace rams every three years to prevent inbreeding. Choosing a ram It is important to ensure that the ram that you choose brings the correct genes into your flock. Use only the best animals for breeding. The ram contributes half of the production characteristics of each kid. It is also important to ensure that the ram is fertile. Besides reproductive soundness, it is important to make sure that the ram has sound legs and feet so that he is able to work effectively over the breeding season.
Poor production results mainly from kid mortality. This results in a shortage of ewe kids to keep as replacements when older or unproductive goats are culled. Mortalities of kids are due to poor management (including poor nutrition), unhygienic overnight facilities, theft, poor flock hygiene (with coccidiosis as a major problem) and predators. Breeding season In general, the goat production system found in KwaZulu-Natal is that of free ranging goats with mating occurring throughout the year, most kids being born between March and August. In a system where the rams are with ewes throughout the year, the advantage is that the ewes will take the ram as soon 6
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